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NCAA Compliance

UWF Student Athlete Handbook NCAA compliance information.

Table of Contents

Agents

Student-athletes may be contacted by a sports agent during their time at UWF. Please refer all agents to the UWF Compliance Office. Agents must be registered in the state of Florida and the UWF Compliance Office prior to signing a UWF student-athlete. Student-athletes can jeopardize their eligibility if you:

  • Agree orally or in writing to be represented by an agent right now or in the future after
    your eligibility is exhausted;
  • Accept any benefits from an agent that include, but are not limited to, transportation,
    money, and gifts regardless of their value. This limit extends to your family too; or
  • Try-out with a professional athletic team in a sport while enrolled as a regular full-time student.

Employment (Unrelated to NIL)

Student-Athlete are allowed to work under the following conditions:

  • Can only receive compensation for work actually performed.
  • Can only receive compensation at a rate commensurate with the going rate in that locale for similar services.

Student-athletes must report this information on their “Student-Athlete Information” form.

Notification of Transfer

If a student-athlete is considering transferring, the student is required to complete the steps listed below in order to satisfy University and NCAA rules.

  • A student-athlete may initiate the notification of transfer process by providing the Compliance Office with an ARMS Notification of Transfer.
  • The student-athlete must complete the NCAA Transfer Module and confirm that they have completed it in the ARMS Notification of Transfer workflow prior to their name being entered in the portal.
  • The Compliance Office shall enter the student-athlete’s information into the Transfer Portal within two (2) business days of receipt of a written notification of transfer from the student-athlete and at the appropriate transfer window date.

The NCAA transfer windows determine the dates in which a student-athlete may submit notification of transfer and windows are sport-specific. Please contact the Compliance Office for more information regarding those dates.

Exceptions to Transfer Window dates: if a student-athlete’s head coach departs or announces their intent to depart, or the student-athlete’s aid is canceled, reduced or non-renewed (for reasons other than those specified in Bylaws 15.3.4.2 or 15.3.5.1) prior to the window opening for their sport, they may initiate notification of transfer during a 30 consecutive-day period which begins the day after either occurs.

If Notification of Transfer is submitted, the student-athlete’s financial aid may not be reduced or canceled until the end of the regular academic term in which the notification of transfer is received. If a student-athlete provides written notification of transfer to UWF between regular academic terms (winter break, summer break), UWF may reduce or cancel the financial aid immediately.

If another institution’s coach makes impermissible contact with a UWF student-athlete regarding a possible transfer, the student-athlete is required to report this contact to the Compliance office immediately.

Lessons

A student-athlete may receive compensation for teaching or coaching sport skills or techniques in his or her sport on a fee-for-lesson basis, provided:

  • Institutional athletic facilities are not used.
  • Playing lessons are not permitted.
  • Compensation is paid by the lesson recipient (or the recipient’s family member) and not another individual or entity.
  • Instruction to each individual is comparable to the instruction that would be provided during a private lesson when the instruction involves more than one individual at a time.
  • The student-athlete’s name, picture, or appearance is not used to promote or advertise the availability of fee-for-lesson sessions.
  • Student-athletes must submit a fee-for-lessons form to the UWF compliance office prior to engaging in lessons.

Prize Money (Bylaw 12.1.2.4.1)

Student-athletes are allowed to receive prize money based on place finish or performance in an athletics event. Prize money may not exceed actual and necessary expenses and may be provided only by the sponsor of the event. (Exception – Bylaw 12.1.2.4.2 – Exception for Prize Money – Tennis).

Extra Benefits

An extra benefit is typically defined as something that is made available to student-athletes that is not available to students in general. Receipt of an extra benefit renders student-athletes ineligible for intercollegiate athletics participation and must be reported to the head coach and Compliance Office. If there is any doubt about the permissibility of any benefit, please check with the Compliance Office. Some examples of non-permissible extra benefits include, but are not limited to, the following:

  1. Special discounts and credits,
  2. Free or reduced cost services,
  3. Use of a telephone or credit card for personal reasons without charge,
  4. Entertainment services,
  5. Loans of money,
  6. A guarantee of bond,
  7. Use of an automobile or transporting of student-athletes,
  8. Signing or co-signing a note with an outside agency,
  9. Gifts or awards of any kind.

Rule Violation Reporting

Currently being revised.

Student Host Responsibilities (Bylaw 13.6.7.5)

The role of student host is very important in the recruiting process. Student hosts are responsible for understanding and abiding by NCAA Bylaw 13.6.7.5 and UWF regulations. Please review the following rules carefully:

  1. Only one student-athlete per day can serve as an official host. If the host is a freshman, they must have been certified by the NCAA Eligibility Center as a final qualifier. Other students may assist with hosting the prospect, but those students must pay for their own entertainment and meals, unless receiving an Occasional Meal. The host will be assigned a Student Host form through ARMS that he/ she must sign before hosting. Multiple hosts may serve on an official visit if approved before visit via the Official Visit Request.
  2. A maximum of $60 per person may be provided to entertain a prospective student-athlete, their student host, and up to four family members accompanying the prospective student-athlete on the official visit. This excludes the cost of meals and admission to campus athletic events. This money may NOT be used to purchase souvenirs, such as t-shirts or other UWF mementos. Itemized receipts and remaining host money must be turned in for all expenses.
  3. No cash may be given to any visiting prospect or to anyone else.
  4. Absolutely no alcohol should be provided or consumed by either the student host or recruit during the official visit.
  5. You may not use vehicles provided for or arranged by any coach, UWF staff member or booster. Never allow a prospect to use or drive your car.
  6. You may not transport the prospect or anyone else accompanying the prospect to an off-campus site outside a 30-mile radius of the campus.
  7. You should not allow recruiting conversations to occur off-campus between the prospect and a UWF Athletics booster. If an unplanned meeting occurs, only an exchange of greetings is allowed.
  8. You may receive a complimentary admission (no hard tickets) when accompanying a prospect to a campus athletic event.
  9. A visiting prospective student-athlete may engage in recreational activities (pick-up game) provided no coaching staff members are present.

Tickets

Complimentary for Home Events

Students are allotted 4 complimentary tickets. It is NOT permissible for a student-athlete to obtain additional complimentary admissions from coaches, staff, trainers, or student managers. However, student-athletes may trade unused complimentary admissions to their teammates Under no circumstances shall a student-athlete sell or accept any compensation for his/her complimentary admissions.

Baseball, Basketball, Soccer, and Softball

Student-athletes must submit names into Teamworks 24 hours prior to the start of competition Any names that are not submitted 24 hours prior to the event will require paid admission.

Football

Ticket requests are to be submitted by Thursday at 1pm. Requests after the deadline will not be accepted. Any names that are not submitted by the deadline will require paid admission. Tickets will be distributed electronically to the email address provided on the ticket request.

Permissible Recruiting Activities for Enrolled Student-Athletes

  1. Off-campus contacts: Off-campus in-person contact between an enrolled student-athlete and a prospective student-athlete is permissible, provided such contact does not occur at the direction of a UWF staff member.
  2. Transportation and expenses: UWF may NOT provide an enrolled student-athlete with transportation or expenses to recruit a prospective student-athlete unless they serve as a student host. A student-athlete serving as a host may not be provided an automobile by UWF or a UWF booster for use during an official visit.
  3. Correspondence: It is permissible for an enrolled student-athlete (or enrolled student) to engage in correspondence (written or electronic) with a prospective student-athlete, provided the enrolled student-athlete is not required to engage in such correspondence on their required day off.
  4. Telephone calls: An enrolled student-athlete may participate in telephone calls with a prospective student-athlete initiated by an institutional staff member, provided the call does not occur on a student-athlete's required day off. An enrolled student-athlete may receive telephone calls made at the expense of a prospective student-athlete prior to the date on which an institution may begin placing telephone calls to a prospective student-athlete, provided there is no direct or indirect involvement by athletics department staff.